Kenosha News, Aug. 27
Is it too little, too late, governor?
Gov. Tony Evers called a special session to consider police reform measures that Republicans have ignored
That was Monday.
On Sunday Evers sent an outrageous statement that fueled the flames by taking sides in an explosive situation in Kenosha that should go through the courts and to a jury.
Here is what he sent:
“Jacob Blake was shot in the back multiple times, in broad daylight, in Kenosha. Kathy and I join his family, friends and neighbors in hoping earnestly that he will not succumb to his injuries. While we do not have all the details yet, what we know for certain is he is not the first Black man or person to have been shot or injured or mercilessly killed at the hands of individuals in law enforcement in our state or in our country.
“We stand with all those who have and continue to demand justice, equality and accountability for Black lives in our country - lives like those of George Floyd, of Breonna Taylor, Tony Robinson, Denise Hamilton, Earnest Lacy, and Sylville Smith. And we stand against excessive use of force and immediate escalation when engaging with Black Wisconsinites.
“I have said all along that although we must offer our empathy, equally important is our action. In the coming days, we will demand just that of elected officials in our state who have failed to recognize the racism in our state and our country for far too long.”
You would think as he sent that he would make sure the Wisconsin National Guard was on its way to Kenosha to deal with the inevitable protests and looting.
But no, he did not do that. The Guard was never ordered until 3 a.m. Monday, hours after looting and violence in Kenosha. The guard arrived at 8 p.m. Monday into a situation that was difficult with outsiders flooding the city despite a curfew.
Kenosha County supervisors Terry Rose and Zach Rodriguez said Monday they feel “someone dropped the ball.”
“Myself and other supervisors were knocking on the doors of other supervisors at 2 a.m. because the National Guard hadn’t been sent to Kenosha,” Rodriguez said.
Kenosha County Emergency Management Director Lt. Horace Staples said he submitted the request to Wisconsin Emergency Management at 3 a.m. That office in turn submits the request to the governor of Wisconsin, who activates the National Guard.
Evers knew about the situation in Kenosha and the potential for looting and violence hours earlier. He did nothing, instead throwing Kenosha and its police department under the bus.
On Tuesday he ordered more National Guard troops to come here, but nowhere near the number local law enforcement needs. He turned down an offer for federal help.
Also on Tuesday, Sen. Van Wanggaard and Rep. Samantha Kerkman sent a letter to Evers saying what many Kenosha County residents are saying:
“The City is burning. Residents are heartbroken, terrified for their lives and livelihoods and city. They are literally begging and crying for help.
“The scars of this week cannot heal until the violence stops. The rioting must end.”
On Tuesday night rioting and protesting became violence in the street and the city was being held hostage.
Early Wednesday the Kenosha County board sent a letter to Evers, asking that he send 1,500 additional National Guard members with police powers. “We encourage you to visit Kenosha County and see firsthand the destruction that has been inflicted on our community,” they wrote.
And U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil, R-District 1, sent a statement calling on Evers to accept the president’s offer for additional assistance.
Finally, early Wednesday afternoon, Evers announced he would increase the National Guard contingent here to 500. And President Trump announced that Evers agreed to accept federal assistance.
“We will not stand for looting, arson, violence and lawlessness on American streets. My team just got off the phone with Governor Evers who agreed to accept federal assistance (Portland should so the same!),” Trump tweeted.
Evers has time to work with the Republican majority to achieve reforms that are supported by the Wisconsin Professional Police Association.
But he has no more time to swiftly mobilize necessary state and federal law enforcement support to stop this unrest and the staggering blow to this community.
Evers’ statement on Sunday fueled the fire before any rioters got here. His insufficient response has put a Wisconsin city and its residents in danger. Now he needs to do everything the state can to help Kenosha and protect its citizens.
It’s about time he did something, and more may be needed immediately.
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Wisconsin State Journal, Madison, Aug. 29
Bring an early Trump vs. Biden debate to Wisconsin
A pandemic presidential election needs a pandemic debate schedule. As things now stand, millions of Americans could send in their ballots before Donald Trump and Joe Biden meet on stage. To prevent that, the Commission on Presidential Debates should add an early faceoff to the lineup.
Going to a polling place this year isn’t a great option. So many people breathing the same air and touching the same surfaces risks the spread of COVID-19. Instead, stay home and vote absentee. It’s safe, easy and secure.
Three-quarters of voters in Wisconsin’s spring election - 1.1 million of them - voted absentee. That number could double for the November general election. County clerks will begin sending ballots on Sept. 17 to registered voters who have filed their absentee requests.
More than a half dozen other states also send out ballots in the middle of September. The list includes fellow swing states Pennsylvania and Michigan.
How informed those early voters will be will partly depend on whether the independent debate commission can nimbly adapt to pandemic realities. The first debate won’t occur until Sept. 29. Two more presidential debates and a vice presidential debate will follow in October.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Wisconsin Senate President Roger Roth recently sent a letter to the commission requesting a presidential debate earlier in September so early voters get a chance to see the candidates in action. They also suggest Wisconsin host that debate, which makes sense given the pivotal role our state played in the election outcome four years ago.
“Wisconsinites who vote early deserve the same opportunity afforded to other states to hear the two competing visions for our country and make a well-informed decision,” they wrote.
Vos and Roth are both Republicans, so they might have an ulterior motive. The campaign that’s behind usually wants more debates, and Trump is behind in the polls nationally and in Wisconsin. He trailed Biden 49-43 in the recent Wisconsin poll, conducted by YouGov and coordinated by the UW-Madison Elections Research Center in collaboration with the Wisconsin State Journal. The campaign in the lead tends not to want more debates because they are opportunities to shake up the race.
Even people with ulterior motives can make a sound argument. Nonpartisan analysts are calling for more debates, too. The commission should focus on creating an informed electorate.
Voters will learn a lot more from the debates than they will from the barrage of television ads in the coming months. There’s more to being president than debating, of course, but the debates show whether leaders can think on their feet, how much they know and how well they can advocate for their policies.
Absentee voters could wait to mail their ballots until after the debates, but that path has its own perils. A ballot could fall to the bottom of the mail pile, lost or forgotten. Even if it’s mailed on time, the ongoing controversies over the U.S. Postal Service and mail delivery slowdowns mean that the sooner it’s postmarked the better the chances of on-time delivery.
The presidential debate schedule is out of sync with these pandemic times. The Commission on Presidential Debates still has time to realign its schedule by bringing Trump and Biden to Wisconsin in the next few weeks.
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The Janesville Gazette, Aug. 28
State should consider law enforcement reform
In the wake of a Kenosha police officer shooting a Black man in the back Sunday, state government has two opportunities to review and reform how law enforcement operates.
It should do both.
Gov. Tony Evers has called for a special session of the Legislature to take up his police reform proposals, which include establishing statewide use-of-force standards.
Yes, it should do that.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has announced a task force focusing on racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards.
It should do that, too.
While the Vos proposal calls for more study, Evers is proposing action.
It’s hard to imagine why any legislators would have a problem with the measures outlined in the governor’s proposal. Local law enforcement doesn’t have a problem with them and, in fact, already are doing many of the things outlined in the governor’s proposal.
Janesville Police Chief Dave Moore said many of Evers’ proposals are already in place in Janesville, and he supports them in large part.
Evers’ proposals include:
Establishing statewide use-of-force standards, including the principle that police should use the least amount of force necessary and deadly force only as a last resort.
Prohibiting discipline of an officer for reporting a violation.
Requiring officers to complete at least eight hours of training on use-of-force and de-escalation techniques each year.
Requiring the state Department of Justice to publish an annual report on use of force, including demographic information about those involved in each incident.
Requiring an employment file for each employee and requiring police officer candidates to authorize their previous employer to disclose their employment files.
We used this space in June after George Floyd’s death to call for local police to review their use-of-force policies. Our review of local policies had revealed some gaps.
The Milton Police Department policy, for example, says choke holds are not permitted except in a “deadly force situation.”
Moore said Janesville officers for years have been trained on the use of choke holds, but it wasn’t addressed in the department’s use-of-force policies. Now it is. The department changed its policies in recent weeks to address choke holds, strikes to the neck and other similar measures.
We suspect not all other police departments - large and small - across Wisconsin have taken such a proactive approach. If the Legislature adopts none of Evers’ other proposals, it should at least approve statewide use-of-force standards.
The task force announced by Vos has a broader mission, part of which is to examine police policies and standards. No doubt the work of the task force will take months. We hope it yields helpful insights.
In the meantime, the Legislature should convene and take up what Evers has proposed.
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